Deal With It, Simply!

Good Morning!

I haven’t been feeling very frugal with an upcoming wedding and a week later Christmas….The days of the kids needing $5 or $10 is gone and now it’s hundreds by Friday. I have been feeling that feeling of how I felt when my husband was out of work, but now we both work all the time.

I am feeling I need to start Boot camp again and see if I can find some new tricks.

What do you do when you are broke?

I find I need to thank the Lord for what I do have…when I get into my car I say a little Thank you Jesus or go into my warm home Thank you Jesus. You can’t make you net worth more than your self-worth! I need to not get overwhelmed and take one bite a a time.

1. Look for what you can get rid of…We got rid of cable and bought a digital antenna…I am not missing it and we are all alive.
2. lower the minutes on you cell phone….I would like to just get rid of them, but they have you sign a 2 year contract….smart on their part :/
3. turn the heat down when you aren’t at home  and see how low you can keep the temp when you are home.

Lets keep the list going I would love to hear what you do when you are broke! Have a blessed day, Candy

No Spend Day….  just what it says a day you don’t spend any money. Here are a few ideas on how to actually have a NO Spend Day:

• Stay home
• Pack your lunch if you work outside the home.
• Shop your own cabinets and pantry for dinner

You can make it a challenge for yourself and see just how many days…. save and not spend.

For Randy and I we can usually have a No Spend Day, but our children seem to put a wretch in it with oh I forgot I need this or that. We do the best we can and that is better than we were.

Have a blessed day, Candy

If you were to ask those who say they are frugal “what does it mean to be frugal?” You may be surprised to hear different answers. I have always been pretty frugal, but when I got married I really started living frugal. I want you to know there may be frugal ideas that aren’t for you and there may be some you wonder why more aren’t using them.

The good , the bad and the ugly of frugal for me. These are frugal things you may like to try:

• I love hanging clothes on the line…A few of my friends make fun and call me the little woman. Think about it you are saving energy by not drying and you extend the life of your clothes. The fresh smell is just wonderful to me. My honey has hung a bar over my washer and dryer so I can hang in the winter too!

• I only wash full loads of laundry and dishes in the dishwasher. You will waste money if you aren’t washing full loads.

• I am all for going green, but I love the little plastic bags my grocery comes in. I use them in my little garbage cans, Put to go food in them for guests to carry out and I take my lunch to work.

• Many of my dear frugal friends wash ziploc bags. I did try years ago, but it got to the point when I decided I hate baggies hanging and drying. I do it every so often, but it just wasn’t fun. If this is a frugal idea you would like to try do not reuse baggies that have stored meat

• Little slivers of soap left in the shower…I either stick it to a bigger bar of soap or add it to my liquid soap, it melts with the liquid.

• Fabric softener sheets I have made my own and cut store-bought sheets in half. It depends if I find a good deal. the homemade recipe:

2-3 Cups Water
1 Cup Liquid Fabric Softener
Large Sponge

Combine water and liquid softener (I store in a Glad container with a lid for when I am not using). Cut sponge in 1/2 and keep in liquid. When drying clothes, remove sponge, squeeze out excess liquid and place in dryer with clothes. When dry, just place sponge back in liquid to be used for next load.

Here are a few more tips for our Frugal Boot Camp. Have a blessed day, Candy

When you hear  “good to the last drop” you may think about coffee, but I am thinking about all the products we use every last bit of to save money and make the product stretch.

• Toothpaste- we have a small wallpaper roller and when the “squeezers” in our family squeeze the toothpaste I push it toward the top. This helps us with using every drop of our toothpaste. When you think no more toothpaste can be found….we cut the bottom of the tube and ahhh good to the last drop!

At frugal boot camp today we are learning to read bottle upside down….why because when there is very little in them we flip them on their lids so the last portion of the product is easy to use up every drop! Some of the good to the last drop items are:

• Shampoo and conditioner Many of you must likely flip them to stand on their tops, but when you think no more can be found…..add a little water and shake and one more shampoo and conditioned head of hair!
• Ketchup and mustard
• salad dressing
• syrup
• Liquid Laundry soap- after I think no more can be found in the bottle I add water and shake and find one more loads worth!
• Liquid dish and dishwasher soap- I do the same thing as the laundry soap

Ok, I guess you get the idea…anything in a bottle needs to be flipped toward the end of its usage and get every last drop out.

• One thing I cannot live without is a rubber spatula. You may think “Wow lady you need to get a life”, but I can’t tell you how much more  product I can get out of a can or bowl with a rubber spatula making a rubber spatula a great help getting every last drop. I think every Frugal Kitchen needs a rubber spatula!
• Well, I needed to bring up coffee. We don’t waste coffee anymore with my college kid in the house, but when we had leftover I would pour it in a thermos and it is fresh and hot for later.Good to the last drop!

I have learned over the years different ways to make things stretch and good to the last drop. I have also learned to use less of those products. Many times the recommended amount is more than needed….like shampoo I haven’t shampoo rinse and repeated in years…You get the idea. I would love to hear what is your good to the last drop!

Have a Blessed day, Candy

Here is some of the coupon lingo I have found along the way. When I started using coupons I had no idea what some of these slang words. My friend Paula at Monroe on a budget and I have compiled for our Shopping on a budget class. We will be teaching again on June 22 at the Lucas County Sanger branch Library.

Coupon lingo

• B1G1 or BOGO = Buy one get one free
• B2GO- Buy2 get one free
• Blinkies = coupon dispensed near product, in the store (usually from a “blinking” red box)
• Cat= Catalina = a coupon dispensed at the register at the time of purchase (either at end of receipt or separate)
• Coupon Trains= There are many ways to be on a coupon train but this is the most common. You have 3-6 people the conductor starts and sends and envelope to the first stop, the first stop takes out the coupons the want and replaces them with coupons they aren’t using and they go down the line. The secret is quick turnover time so they don’t expire
• CRT= Cash register tape
• ECB = Extra Care Buck (CVS)
• SCR= Rite Aid’s Single check rebate
• e-coupon = (electronic coupon) –  loaded onto store card and they do not double and they are considered manufacture coupons. ***Just make sure you know the exact item and have a list of what you have loaded onto the card so you don’t forget to use it.***
• FAR = free after rebate
• IPQ = Internet Printable Coupon (a coupon you print off the internet)
• IVC = Instant Value Coupon
• MFR = manufacturer
• MQ = manufacturer coupon
• MIR = Mail in Rebate
• OYNO= On your next order
• OOP = Out Of Pocket
• P&G = Proctor & Gamble Sunday supplement coupons
• Peelie = coupon that you peel off the package
• RP = red plum coupon insert from Sunday newspaper
• Rain checks = When an item is out of stock ask for a rain check and use it when the item is not on sale. Most rain checks do not expire
• SS = Smart source coupon insert from Sunday newspaper
• Stacking = the art of “stacking” your coupons in a certain order so that they will ring up how you want them to
• Stockpiling = Finding the super deal and than buying not one or two, but as many as you can at the super deal price, then saving for a future use. Stockpiling is by no means hoarding. If you do get to a point where you have too much please consider your church pantry or shelter.
• Tear Pad = A pad of refund forms or coupons found hanging from a store shelf or display
• WYB = When You Buy
• UPC =Universal Product code
• Don’t be fooled by 10 for $10 you don’t have to buy 10 unless stated in the ad.

• You can combine an “off 2″ ($.50/2) coupon with a BOGO sale.  The coupon doesn’t actually require that you PAY for 2.  The coupon just wants you to get 2 and the store is giving you one for free as part of their store sale.

If you have found any I haven’t mentioned please do add!

Have a blessed day! Candy

Good Morning! I have to tell you I have been kind of in a funk.  I start writing a post and then think it isn’t quite what I want to say and I am sorry for that. My dear friend Shelly has been taking up the slack with her crafts and I thank her for that. I need a frugal boot camp or a frugal 101 of sorts and today is the day!

Frugal Boot Camp

1. When you are trying to be frugal you can’t look at it as being deprived or you won’t be successful! I have to look at it as a challenge and set goals.
2. Frugal doesn’t mean Cheap….I choose to look at it that I am being a good steward of what the Lord has entrusted to me. What is a good steward?
3. We need an emergency fund thanks to Dave Ramsey I now see this! His thought is when you have an emergency fund then an emergency doesn’t seem to be one. You have the cash on hand. Start a fund and even if you can only put away a small amount you will see it grow and achieve your goal.
4. Look for areas you can save your money-  food, water, electric and gas. Do you need cable, the newspaper everyday or the land line phone? I look around our home looking for ways we can cut.
5. What can we sell- This may be politically incorrect, but I can only imagine it is like an addict looking for ways to buy drugs….. I am looking for ways to pay bills or pay down debt.
6. Plan your meals- I like to plan for the month then I can have all I need on hand and can find deals on what I need.  Plan for leftovers- Leftover are right under our nose! We like to recreate them or have a leftover night. I have to say I am blessed my family doesn’t balk too much. By planning your meals you are less likely to eat out and I have to say eating together is a special time for our family.

Well we will continue our Frugal Boot camp. I would love to hear your stories. Have a blessed day, Candy